Kurdistan’s Weekly Brief May 31

Turkey (Bakur or North of Kurdistan)

17 Kurdish officials and political activists were detailed by the Turkish government in many provinces. Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Antep Provincial Co-President Demet Paksoy was among the detainees. Arrests took place in Urfa, Amed, Siirat, and Antep provinces.

HDP Co-President Selahattin Demirtaş spoke during the second Extraordinary Congress of the HDP’s Amed branch. He said” the Kurdish movement would reach victory because of its righteous cause”. Demirtaş emphasized that they would not stop resisting until they expel the thieves from the country. Demirtaş criticized both the rulling party (AKP) government and the enabling Turkish opposition. He said “ the dirty union of these forces could not stop the resistance and advance of the people

Turkey’s conflict with Kurdish militants, said to have killed more than 5,000 people since July, has also destroyed at least 6,000 buildings that will cost approaching 1 billion lira ($340 million) to rebuild, according to a government estimate.

Clashes between Turkey’s army and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) continue in Shirnak province. Several buildings collapsed and smoke clouds rose in neighborhoods in Shirnak. Both sides of the conflict stated different numbers of the death among their forces in the recent weeks.

The Kurdish Civilian Protection Units (YPS) announced that they have pulled their armed forces and issued a call: “We call for action to guarantee the right to life for the civilian and defenseless mothers and children in Nusaybin”. Meanwhile Kurdistan People’s Congress (KGK) decelerated urgent call for action in Nusaybin. The declaration pointed out that the state forces failed to break the people’s resistance in Nusaybin and attempted to destroy the district along with the people with bombs from fighter jets.

Syria (Rojava or West of Kurdistan)

The chief of refugee’s camps in Cizîre Canton expects that the number of Iraqi refugees might exceed 100,000 if battles to free Mosul started. While 9,463 refugees have entered the canton since May 25, according to the headof the eastern entry of Efrîn Canton Bozan Kilo. Refugee’s movements from Shehba areas towards Efrîn continue since May 25, escaping the ongoing battles between ISIS and the National Coalition Groups. Kilo said “refugees are transferred to Robar camp, and as for those willing to head to Idlib countryside, they are permitted to cross there’’.

Salih Muslim the co-president of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) stated that no one is capable of breaking the will of Rojava people through starvation and imposing siege on them, noting that Kobanî witnesses two phases of progress since it is resisting on the one hand, and reconstructing the city on the other hand, this came in a meeting held with members of councils and communes of the eastern villages and people of the canton.

People’s Protection Units (YPG) Media Center issued a written statement on the Turkish army’s attacks on Rojava, and said that 80 Turkish soldiers accompanied by 2 tanks violated the Turkey-Rojava border near the Hemam village of Afrin’s Cindirêsê district and occupied the area between the villages of Hemam and Merwanî on May 27. The occupying forces later shelled Tatmaraş village and caused material damage. YPG noted that Turkish soldiers also shelled the village of Ziyaret to the west of Kobanê from the Turkish side of the border at 21:45 on the same day.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that the 4th arm in the Operation Liberate Northern Raqqa had advanced 6 km, and at least 20 ISIS members were killed in the clashes. In a written statement, SDF announced that the 4th arm of the operation that took off from the east of the Euphrates river continued their advance in the Operation Liberate Northern Raqqa launched on May 24.

Jaysh Al Thuwar commander Ebu Hecî stated that the Turkish state sent heavy weaponry to Jihadists last week and prepares to intervene in the region militarily. The Jaysh Al Thuwar commander stated that the Turkish Intelligence aims to eliminate Rojava Revolution and has built relations with Syrian National Coalition (SNC) gangs in order to accomplish this goal. Ebu Hecî said that the Turkish state recently delivered heavy weaponry, missiles, and machine gun-mounted vehicles to the gangs through the İlmintar-Hawar-Kilis route.

Iraq (Bashur or South of Kurdistan)

Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani, the head of the Kurdistan Region Intelligence Agency, took part in a European Union parliament discussion panel regarding the fight against Islamic State terrorist organization and the condition of the Peshmerga in the frontlines. Stressing that a political party is trying to hide its weak points by talking about independence referendum.

Peshmerga forces foiled several ISIS attacks near Khazar. The Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) announced on May 30 that Peshmerga liberated 120 SQ Km. During the Peshmerga operation, several ISIS fighters were detained.

A group of disabled residents from Sulaimani held a demonstration in the city on Tuesday (May 31), demanding the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) release funds for monthly benefits. According to a recent statement from the KRG’s Ministry of Finance and Economy, payments for disabled people covering the month of January would be distributed on Tuesday.

Iran (Rojhelat or East of Kurdistan)

Iranian President Hasan Rouhani stated on Tuesday that Iran has saved “Baghdad and Erbil” from falling by ISIS. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhanipraised the situation of Kurds in his country and promised more language and cultural rights. Worth mentioning that political executions has praised largely during Rouhani’s presidential term.

Mohammad Sediq Kaboudvand, aprominent Kurdish humanrights activist imprisoned in Iran, has gone on hunger strike in protest at what he claims are new false charges brought against him. Kaboudvand was sentenced in 2009 to 11 years for “acting against national security” and “propaganda against the state.” The fresh charges again accuse him of propaganda against the state, based on alleged communications with Kurdish fighters and his academic work. His wife, Parinaz Baghban Hassani, insisted that the charges were entirely baseless.